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I’ve come recently to the joy of motorcycling, only riding for a little less than two years. On a whim I took the Motorcycle Safety Basic course and was hooked! I spent my first year riding a ‘blast from the past’ "classic" 1981 Suzuki GS1100E – very quick and strong.
The Suzuki was a great bike – to a point. Having a straight seat and no sissy bar made it difficult for my wife to ride along – although she did – much to her credit.
With the ‘Zuki, my wife and I went on several local runs, and we were introduced to the Harley Davidson dominated culture. I learned to recognize the look of disgust at my ‘rice rocket’ – Harley’s are the only motorcycle worth anything attitude and the puff-out-the-chest routine of Harley riders.
I knew that another bike was in order…and began to look at, ogle and lust after a Valkyrie.
My being of "beefy proportions", the Valkyrie fit the bill: great power, terrific balance, tour ability, two-up enabled and great looks. I felt that the Valkyrie was for me. The quest was on!
One Saturday, I pulled into a combo-dealer (one who had almost every brand of motorcycle – except Harley Davidson). In the parking lot was a 1997 green/cream Valk tourer. The bike was tricked out with Cobra 6 into 6 exhaust, a Corbin saddle with rider/passenger backrests, a Hondaline luggage rack and custom painted in a "Southwest" theme. The clincher was when the salesman offered me the opportunity to take it for a test ride. Through heavy salivation, I graciously accepted his offer.
Cutting to the chase, if the looks had wow’ed me, the ride closed the deal. I remember going out on the Interstate and looking at the speedo – doing 75MPH – and not even noticing it. What a MACHINE! It was just what the doctor ordered…needless to say, I joined the ranks of satisfied Valk owners.
Still with temporary license plates, we took our new toy on a Poker Run on July 3rd (95 degrees in the shade). Along the route, many riders stopped by to look at the Valk … commenting on its look, size and weight. I was proud to have a bike that stood out in a crowd – and that was definitely different from any H-D.
My most recent crowning glory was at another poker run event put on by the local PBA. At the end of the ride, we pulled into a parking lot where 97% of the bikes there were of Harley Davidson heritage or look-a-likes. It just so happened that one space that was open was by the pathway entrance to the picnic area. I backed the Valkyrie into that space…and the fun really began!
I had no sooner gotten off the bike when two guys came running up to the bike and began to oh-and-ah over the Valk. "Look at the size of that tire…Check out the pipes, I really like them….What an engine – a six cylinder…". Let’s just say my Valk became the ‘belle of the ball’.
During the picnic, I observed no less than 20 different people looking the Valk over – from top to bottom. Now mind you, there were about 200 Harley’s there – and all these Harley guys were looking at that disdained ‘rice rocket’ – and being very, very impressed. The Valk inspired many small-group discussions – as well as some dumbfounded or awe-struck comments!
My wife and I were wearing our ‘Ride the Dragon’ t-shirts (from F6 Rider). Several people approached us in the picnic area to talk about our Valk. Gone was the "Harley is the only motorcycle" attitude … these guys really wanted to know what it was like to really ‘Ride the Dragon’ – and listened, mouth open to my detailing of the joys of the Valkyrie. I don’t know if I converted any H-D guys that day…but may have made inroads to changing the Harley-only mentality.
Don’t get me wrong, I think a Harley is a fine motorcycle. But for me, all Harley’s begin to look alike. The Valkyrie, however, really stands out in a crowd in many categories…looks, power, and reliability.
From my experiences, it consistently gets noticed.
I am very proud to be the owner of this fine machine – and look forward to many more miles spent in the Valk’s saddle.
Jack Lampman
VRCC#184
VOA#1572